A new state government initiative will bring specialist care to Tasmania's regions in an effort to reduce the stress on emergency departments.
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The community outreach program will see specialist travel to regional hospitals across the North to provide care to patients with complex medical conditions.
It was announced today as part of the government's Our Health Care Future plan.
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Launceston General Hospital director of medicine Alasdair MacDonald said the program would allow for better early intervention and care for patients.
He said the program would result in less pressure being put on hospital emergency departments.
"If we can intervene earlier the actual workload will reduce and over the distances involved in many of our districts hospitals this isn't a major imposition," Dr MacDonald said.
Under the new system general practitioners will be able to refer patients to specialist who will visit regional hospitals on a regular basis.
"One of the effects will be to reduce bed block - the other effect will be to intervene in patients earlier while they're healthier to try to stop their downward trajectory," Dr MacDonald said.
"In the early phases of the illness where they are not sick enough to come to the hospital."
Dr MacDonald said some people were waiting six weeks to see a specialist which was unacceptable.
The initiative was announced alongside a $45 million funding boost to reduce the number of people waiting for elective surgery.
More than 11,000 people are on Tasmania's elective surgery waiting list with this funding excepted to address 8500 of those in the next 18 months.
Health Minister Sarah Courtney said the health system had management techniques in place to ensure the extra surgeries can occur despite problems with bed block.
She said the waiting list was a living list with Tasmanians being added and removed daily.
"This is eight and a half thousand additional surgeries. This is above and beyond the underlying elective surgeries that are done every year," Mrs Courtney said.
"When an elective surgery [waiting] list of 11,000 people stays static over a period of time that is not because we are not doing elective surgeries."
The Tasmanian branch of the Australian Medical Association has welcomed the extra funding for elective surgeries but would like to see it developed into a long term sustainable funding plan.
"Our elective surgery lists are at an all-time high, and any increase in funding for elective surgery is welcomed as this will help us to manage that," AMA Tasmania Vice President Dr Scott Fletcher said.
"A permanent increase in funding would let the health sector better plan and resource for the management of elective surgery within our state and alleviate our heavy reliance on locums. We know that investing in your workforce is better in the long term for Tasmanians."
Tasmanian Council of Social Services chief executive officer Adrienne Picone said Friday's announcement showed a shift to investment in primary healthcare.
She said lack of equitable access to primary healthcare was an issue in Tasmania.
"We know effective solutions to our overburdened hospital system will not be found in our hospitals but, instead, within our communities," Ms Picone said.
"Tasmanians are presenting to Emergency Departments because for many reasons they haven't been able to get the care they need in their local community.
"The only way to solve these issues is by bringing accessible, affordable and timely primary health care to Tasmanians when and where they need it."
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Jackson Worthington
General news reporter with a special interest in social justice, the economy and family violence. Jackson.Worthington@austcommunitymedia.com.au
General news reporter with a special interest in social justice, the economy and family violence. Jackson.Worthington@austcommunitymedia.com.au
